An Associated Press-GfK poll shows public opinion on whether gay couples should be allowed to marry legally has reversed over the last decade, with more of the population being in favor of legal same-sex marriage than opposed to it.
The AP-GfK Poll was conducted May 16-19, 2014 using KnowledgePanel, GfK's probability-based online panel designed to be representative of the U.S. population, according to the AP. It involved online interviews with 1,354 adults, and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.0 percentage points for all respondents.
The poll shows the share of Americans who favor legal gay marriage in their state outweighs the number of people who oppose gay marriage by 46 percent to 39 percent, the AP reported.
Only 1 in 7 say they're neutral on the question, and strong supporters outnumber strong opponents, 35 percent to 28 percent, according to the AP.
Three-quarters of conservative Republicans opposed to gay marriage, according to the poll. Republicans who identify as moderate or liberal are almost evenly split, at 43 percent opposed and 42 percent in support, the AP reported.
Support for gay marriage by region tends to mirror laws, with those in the Northeast and West where more states allow legal marriages for gay couples more likely to support it than those in the South or Midwest, according to the AP.
In the Northeast and West, 56 percent of the population in each region support gay marriage compared with 44 percent in the Midwest and 36 percent in the South, the AP reported.
The poll also shows younger Americans are more supportive of gay marriage, and all the same benefits a heterosexual couple would receive in marriage, than older ones, with about half of those under age 50 in favor of legal gay marriage in their state compared with just 33 percent of seniors, according to the AP.
Republicans under age 30 are also nearly three times as likely to support legal gay marriage as Republicans age 65 and older, the AP reported. Among Democrats, 78 percent under age 50 support legal gay marriage compared with 55 percent age 65 or older.
Respondents for this poll were first selected randomly using phone or mail survey methods, and were later interviewed online, according to the AP. People selected for KnowledgePanel who didn't otherwise have access to the Internet were provided with the ability to access the Internet at no cost to them.
